A marina typically has docks and moorings to which a boat may be secured when it is not in use. Near the edge of a plank dock, for example, lines and docking cleats are sometimes made available for the convenience of a boat owner. In many instances, docking cleats provide the only adequate securing points to which a boat may wrap or tie its lines. To this end, docking cleats are often permanently attached directly onto the dock so that in conditions which may otherwise cause concern, the boat may be safely secured. However, docking cleats may not always be conveniently located, accessible or available for securing purposes.
For instance, as a dock may only have a specific number of cleats attached thereto, not every boat may be immediately accommodated. In particular, at a favorite docking location, cleats that are positioned for easy access are often being used by others to secure their boats. If one is available, more often than not, it is because the cleat is too distantly located from where a boat owner may want to be. As a result, the cleat is often left unused as a more conveniently located one is searched out in frustration.
Convenience may not always be the problem. Often, upon pulling into a dock, an unoccupied docking cleat may quickly be sighted. However, as the approach is made, previously unseen obstacles may subsequently arise. For example, another boat may have since positioned itself in front of the available cleat. More likely however, lines extending from another boat may now be clearly seen across the path to the cleat. Whichever the situation may be, the realization that the docking cleat cannot be accessed because the bow or stern line currently available on board is not of sufficient length may also prove frustrating.
Even when a bow or stern line is of sufficient length, an attempt to dock may still be frustrating if the dock is not equipped with cleats. On occasions, cleats are intentionally not mounted for safety reasons, most notably, to avoid accidental tripping. In the absence of docking cleats, a nearby structure, such as a dock support column, a post or a tree branch, may sometime be used to secure a boat. However, neither the support column, the post nor the tree branch is specifically designed to securely receive a line.
Additionally, in conditions which may otherwise cause concern, it may be desirable to use more than one cleat to provide added security when docking a boat. Yet this may not always be possible when a dock is not equipped with a sufficient number of docking cleats.
At present, only docking devices that are intended as permanent attachments are commercially available for safely securing a boat. In other words, these devices cannot be easily and conveniently attached or removed from a plank dock once they are mounted. As an illustration, when attaching a conventional docking cleat to, for example, a wooden plank dock, openings must first be drilled through the wooden planks so that they align with holes in the base of the cleat. Subsequently the attaching bolts must be maneuvered through not only the base holes, which typically are directly beneath the extending arms of the cleat, but also the openings in the planks before the cleat can be secured against the wooden planks. Once secured, the cleat may be very difficult and inconvenient to remove so that it may be used elsewhere. Specifically, the appropriate tools may not always be available for removing the cleat. Moreover, over time, the wooden planks may have warped and the nuts and bolts may have rusted thereby making removal more difficult. Furthermore, as a conventional docking cleat generally can only be secured from the underside of the dock, removal must also be from the underside of the dock. However, this may not always be possible. In particular, during high tide, the water level may rise to a point at which access is impossible.
Along with these difficulties, the permanent attachment of a docking cleat may also be expensive. For instance, when a docking cleat is not available at an often-visited dock, a boat owner may wish to permanently install a cleat for future use. A permanently installed cleat, as explained above, is not very easily removed for use elsewhere. Thus, in the event that another cleat is needed at a different dock, a new one must be provided.
Accordingly, when approaching a wooden dock where the device for securing a boat is inconveniently located, inaccessible or unavailable, the availability and access to a docking cleat that can provide a safe and adequate securing point, and be conveniently attached, yet easily removed for use elsewhere would be highly desirable.